National Republican., 1887-09-19
TIE TABERNACLE REOPENED
REV. DIR. TALMAGE AT HOME FROM HIS
LONG VACATION.
He breaches Sermon Intended for
Encouragement, Showing That Good
Man Cannot be Always Kept Down.M


Man Cannot be Always Kept Down.M
BROOKLYN, Sept, 1S.-After being closed for
some' weeks for improvements and enlarge
ments the Brooklyn Tabernacle was opened to-
day. The same overwhelming throngs were In
attendance as before. The congregation sang
with great effect the hymn:
Before Jehoyah's awful throne
Ye nations bow with sacred Joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone,
He can create and he destroy"
After explaining appropriate passages OF
Scripture, DR.. Tamage took his text from
Genesis, xii, IL: "And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph: See, 1 have set thee over all the land
Of Egypt" The subject Of the sermon was
1.-THE Prime Minister" DR.. Talmage said:
You cannot keep good man down. God
has deoreed for him q certain elevation to
which he must attain. He will bring him
through though II cost Him thousand worlds.
There are men constantly In trouble lest they
shall not be appreciated. Every man comes In
the end to be valued at just what he is worth.
How often you see men turn out all their
forces to crush one man or set OF men. How
do they tucceed7 No better than did the gov
eminent that tried to crush Joseph, aScripture
character upon which we speak to-day. II
would be an insult to suppose that you were
not all familiar with the life OF Joseph; how
his jealous brothers threw him into the pit,
but, seeing a caravan OF Arabian merchants
moving along ON their cameis with spices and
gums that loaded the air with aroma, sold
their brother TO these merchants, who carried
him down into Egypt: how Joseph was sold
to POtiphar, n man of influence and Oihce; how
by his integrity he raised himself to high DO
siiion in the realm, until under the false charge
. of a vile wretch he was hurled into the peni-
tentiary; how In prison he commanded respect
and confidence; how by the Interpretation OF
Pharaoh's dream he was freed, and. became
the chief man In government the bismarck OF
the nation; how In lime of famine Joseph had
the control of a storehouse, which he had fllled
during the seven years of plenty; how when
his brothers. who had thrown him into the pit
be sent the m home with their beasts borne
down under the heft ofthe corn sacks: how the
sin against their brother which had so long
been hidden came out at last, and was re-
turned BY that brothers. forgiveness and kind
ciple.
character: Potiphar was only 2 man of the
world. yet Joseph rose In his estimation until
all the affairs Of that great house were COM
honors or condolences wero withheld. When
Joseph was In prison he soon won the heart
Of the keeper, and, though placed there for be.
ing q scoundrel, he soon convinced the jailor
that he was an innocent and trustworthy man,
and. released from close confinement, he be-
came general superintendent of prison al
fairs. Wherever Joseph was placed, whether
a servant in the house of Petlphar or = prls
oner in the penitentary, he became the first
man. everywhere and is an Illustration
compelled to honor Christian character.
There are those who affect to despise re.
ligious life. They speak of II as q system OF
courage and nobility. They say he has be.
meaned himself They pretend 10 have no
more confidence In him since his conversion
| hypocrisy. 1t is impossible for any man not to
admire and conide in a Christian who shows
that he has really become child Of God and
| son or daughter of the Lord God Almighty.
| OF course half and half religious character
wins no appreciation. Redwald, the king OF
| the Saxons, after Christian baptism, had two
altars-one for the worship, Of God aud the
other for the sacrifice of devils. You may have
| contempt for such men for mere pretension
Of religion but when you behold the ne excel, ,s \;
one OF his disciples, all that there is good
@and @ noble e., In y2Sr y3hr soui ,, rises Nh up
tian be as far beneath you in estate as
the Egyptian slave of whom we are discussing.
by an irrevocable law of our nature Potiphar
and Pharoah will always esteem Joseph.
Eudoxia, the empress. sent word to her say.
| ing: go tell her that fear nothing but SIM"
Such nobility of character will always be
| and Felix which demanded their respect Of
| Paul, the rebel against government. doubt
not they would willingly have yielded their
/
that true hefoism which beamed in the eye
and beat in the heart of the unconquerable
apostle. The infldel and worldling are com
they may not eulogize with their lips,
Christian firm in persecution, cheer
lal in poverty, t5us,S,I ~ Il IN Losses, ri; 4,
all professions and occupations, and find
| them respected and honored and successful.
John Fredetick oberlin alleviating ignorance
and distress, John Howard passing from dun:
geon to lazaretto with healing for the body aud
the soul, Elizabeth Frye coming to the proll-
| gate of Newgate prison to shake down their
locks and chains, as well as the lives of thou.
sands Of the followers Of Jesus who have
spiritual Welfare Of Z the 'H race e'a are monn a"
ments of the Christian religion that
shall not cipmble while the world lasts ls,sts
bSsOme 10 es ffq Il only TSa TosW whs
religion is. But ifthis lying and cheating aud
| bad behavior among men who profess to be
good Is religion, want none Of IT," But my
| comes tonne and asks what the art of painting
is, ! must not show him the daub Of some
end ibs T akS him to the
/ most unfair and dishonest to take the igno-
| minious failures in Christian profession In.
stead Of the glorious successes, The Bible aud
the church are great picture galleries filled
Furthermore, we learn from this story of 10.
| seph that the result of persecution is allevia-
ton. Had 1t not been for his being sold into
Egyptian bondage by his malicious brothers
and his false imprisonment, Joseph would
never have become prime minister. Every.
that are prosecuted for righteousness sake, for
| theirs is the kingdom of heaven" but they do
not realize the fact that this principle applies
true in all departments Had it not been ior
| IEschines who brought impeachment against
Demosthenes, the immortal Grafton. DE Co
| roma" would never have been delivered Men
rise to high political positions through misrep-
| resentation and the assault OF the public Pub
lie abuse Is all that some OF our public men
have had to rely upon Snn, for their . elevation;
| executive force could never have achieved.
Many of those who are making great effort fol
place and power will never succeed Just be-
cause they are not of enough Importance to be
abused. 1t is the nature of man to gather
about those, who are p .rsecuted and defend
them, and they are apt to forget the faults Of
| tempting to drive back the slanderers. Helen
| Stirk, Scotch martyr condemned with her
husband TO death for Ohrsts sake, said TO her
many joyful id days, but this day WV Wherein VSi We
| must die together ought to be most joyful to u,
both. Therefore will not bid you good night
dom" By tho;hash Of the furnace best Chris
| tisn character Is demonstrated.
Al. go Into another department and find that
haye & mest abused hsSe spread ss wasa mos
rapidly No good man was ever more viely
maltreated than John Wesley. His follower,
| were hooted at and maligued and called by
| every detestable name that Internal ingenuity
| could invent, but the hotter the prosecution
the more rapid the spread OF that denomina
| tion, until you know what a great host they
| have become and what a tremendous force fol
God and the truth they are welding all the
4 world over. II was persecution that gave
Scotland to Presbyteriansm. 1t was
| persecution which gave our own land
first to civil liberty and alterward "a
and saw Il was @ that Ssye lie world U
| the great salvation of the GospsL The ribald
mockery, the hupgerlng and thirsting, the un
Just trial end ienominious death where all the
| force of helrs fury was hurled against the
cross, was the Introduction Of that religion
| which is yet to be the earth's dellverance from